mother, daughter, book club, cottage tales, picture books, cottage, picnic
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Presenting: Cottage Tales, a Mother-Daughter Book Club

A little while back a dear friend came to me with an interesting project: Could I create a mother-daughter book club, similar to The Well-Read Mom, but using picture books? What an interesting project this has been!

Cottage Tales

From this request was born Cottage Tales, a mother-daughter monthly book club based on picture books. Cottage Tales encourages the reading of classic picture books for mothers and their growing daughters, fostering conversation and creating wonder and excitement in what it means to grow up and to become a woman. Helping mothers to mentor their daughters through picture books.

Why picture books?

Picture books are beautiful and can convey a message more easily and faster than a chapter book. They are usually beautiful, not only visually through the illustrations, but they are also beautifully written. Picture books are magical, from them you can learn without realizing it and they have an inviting format as they are a perfect excuse to cuddle. You do have to be able to see the pictures after all. They are loved by all ages and are very adaptable.

What makes a classic picture book?

A classic picture book is one that both child and parent love to read. For the parent it might be an old friend that brings up childhood memories and the hope to instill this memory to your child. For the child it is relatable, exciting, creates wonder and curiosity. They are not childish, they have beautiful text and illustrations. They display virtues and character, they have a moral, which might be spelled out or not. A classic picture book has withstood the test of time and is just as loved today as it was when it was first read. It is a picture book that you love reading over and over again.

candle, tea, tealights,

Who is Cottage Tales for?

This book club is meant for mamas and their growing up daughters from pre-teen on up. The picture book titles have been carefully handpicked to foster mother-daughter nurturing and mentoring.

How does the book club work?

This mother-daughter book club is designed to be short and sweet. With one book title per month, it is easy to schedule a 30 minutes or more time to sit down with your daughter(s) and read the picture book to them. Each book title is accompanied by a two page spread. The left page is for you, the parent, to learn more about the book and why it was chosen. And on the right hand page are conversation prompts for you and your daughter(s). These prompts were carefully crafted to initiate deep and meaningful conversations. Of course these prompts are there to help you, they are not “mandatory”. The main intent is to provide an opportunity for you to read with your daughter(s). We want to ignite wonder and excitement about the picture book, your lives and growing up. Each picture book has hints of practical steps that you can take to help your daughter(s) to implement in her life the foundation of good habits.

Getting comfy

Try to find a quiet, comfortable place, maybe light a candle. You could also pour something yummy to drink, or have something enticing to eat. This does not need to take long, but make sure that your full attention is on your daughter(s). Silence cell phones and turn off screens. Just be present in the moment and enjoy it. This is a special time for you and your daughter(s). Follow where the story takes you and enjoy!

Mom as a mentor

To mentor is to educate, by nurturing through word and example, our daughter (s) to become the woman God is calling her to be. To introduce and train our daughters in the arts of homemaking, life and family management, as well as in faith, virtue and character. We are their first example in the home and have the great responsibility of guiding them to adulthood.

Why did I choose to call this Cottage Tales?

A cottage sounds so cozy, retired and homey. This is one of the goals of Cottage Tales, to create a cozy, homey and retired environment for mamas and their growing daughter(s) to spend some quality time together, nurturing each other, exploring growing up and what it means to become a beautiful, godly woman.
Tales trigger thoughts of ancient wisdom, passed through the ages. That is exactly what we want to accomplish through picture books. To pass down the wisdom we have received from ages past to our daughter (s), to equip them for the life ahead of them.

Content

Year 1 contains twelve carefully handpicked picture book titles accompanied by questions to prompt great conversation with your daughter(s). For each picture book I have looked for some specific characteristics: that the text be engaging and the illustrations captivating. They need to appeal to girls in particular and that the story itself elevates the mind and triggers deep meaningful relationships. I made sure to cover multiple genres throughout the year, from Tall Tales to biographies. All of them I consider classics and timeless tales that every child should have heard before she grows up.

Come join me for a year of picture books, nurturing, mentoring and beautiful conversations.

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